Tripod construction



March 2 1943. B. J. FOY 2,312,893

. TRIPOD CONSTRUCTION 7 Filed March 19, 1941 Patented Mar. 2, 1943 Bernard J. Foy, Washington,

D; 0.", assent of one-half to Anthony Ludwig, Washington, I). C.

Application March 19, 1941, Serial o. 384,171

(or. zetaisa) 4 Claims.

My invention relates to tripods and analogous supports for cameras and other instruments and more particularly provides means for limiting the angular spread of the legs of the structure.

In the use of the ordinary tripod dimculty and annoyance are frequently experienced in setting up the structure and in maintaining it set up, by reason of slipping of the legs and consequent collapse of the tripod parts. The present invention remedies this difliculty by incorporating in a tripod of otherwise conventional.construction a device for positively limiting the extent to which the legs may spread angularly from the table when the structure is set up., The device is so formed as to limit the several legs to a inle, uniform angular relationship with the table, to which all the legs can be immediately and simultaneously swung, from which it results that the table will be disposed in an accurately true to the limit imposed by the device, assuming of course that the legs are of uniformlength and that the floor or ground on which the structure is set up is level. It follows that use of the device spares the operator the necessity of checking and adjusting angular relation of each individual leg to the table. 1 A further advantage of the device resides in its capacity to prevent increase of the angular relation of mum, so that the structure cannot collapse 7 Other advantages are the extreme simplicity of the device, its small cost of manufacture the fact that it occupies a negligible amount of space,

the fact that it requires no adjustment but is al- Ways in operative condition, its rugged and practically indestructible character, and thefacts that it is entirely foolproof in operation and is practiwhen the legs are fully spread any leg beyond a predeterminedrrnaxi cally incapable of being abused to cause damage to itself or to the tripod structure or parts. V

The device may be made as an integralpart of the bracket which connects a tripod leg tothe table, or in a slightly modified form it may be made as an attachment to be applied to a con;-

ventional type of tripod structure already in existence.

Both forms of the invention are illustratedin the-accompanying drawing which forms part of this application for Letters Patent and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view on a relatively reduced scale, of the upper portion of a tripod structure embodying the invention; v

vFig. 2 is a bottom plan view, on a relatively en,- larged scale, of the tripod table, showing portions of the legs in broken lines;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view,.in upright position, of one form of bracket embodying the invention; e. i

Fig. 4 is a similarview of a modified form of bracket embodying the. invention; and p U Fig. 51's a cross-sectional view taken along the line 5..5,0fFig. 5.1; t t 1 Referring to the drawin the tripod structure in which the inventionis embodied is onewhich includes a table I0 ,andflthreelegs, ll, l2 and [3. Each leg is preferably-made, oi wood, a1though o se any others itable materia m be s d and comprisesapair of stick elements. In order to clarify the ,relationship ofthe leg partsto the brackets in the several views, of thedravxiing, thestickelements'oi leg ll are designated M- and 1.5,, those. at as-1 ers d i na ed 6 and 1, and those of. le 13 a e de n ted I 8. a d I 3- h air or stickelements f ch leg m rha lower telescopically related portions (not shown) by which the efiectiye length of each leg may be adjusted to vary the height of the table, or' to compensate to a sl pe int fl gr und. o to tilt thetable, all in awell understood manner.

.TheeX e-m u, H element is periorated laterally-so that itmay be journalled on a pintl ecarried by the under i e of the tabl s a ed s m wh bel wt table, and extending, in aplane which is approximately parallelto that of the table. In theitype of construction shown, these pintles are provided in-the iormoi pins 2d projecting right-angularly from brackets 2| ,;22 and 23 which depend from the table. I 7 it l v Each of these brackets conveniently comprises a metal plate divided into two angularly'related t ns .24 and i Each pfthe two angular-portions is provided at its upper edge with a right angularly' turned ear 2? which is screwed on the under side ofthe table. r 1 From the foregoing e planation, taken-inconiunction with the showing in Fig, 2, it will beobserved that if the three brackets are arranged egu idistantly about the marginal zone of the under surface of the tabl and ifthe plate por tions 24 and 25 of each bracket iorinwith Teach other an angle of approximately 120}, eac'hiof: the two pins 29 of each bracket will be aligned with and spaced from the; opposite pin of the next adjacent bracket, so that the pins of such wo. r ck i g n a l n wh h ma serv s a tu ni sraisis fo al a. ea es. u h l w. he two a i ned pins. it i nl e essary- 0 ben the 'two'stick elements to ether and then expand per end portion of each stick 25 by a central vertex' line 26.

or otherwise madame I a connection of the de r to provide for engagement with the adjacent stick element,

skeletonized pocket or them apart to seat the pins in the perforations which, it will be recalled, are provided in the extreme upper end portion of each stick element. This operation is readily performed because each stick element is inherently quite flexible between its upper end and its lower jointed connection with the cooperating telescoping part (not shown) of the leg. When the stick elements are expanded on to the pins they are maintained in such position by a small bridge member 28 which is hinged at one end to one stick element of each leg and is swung to the position shown in Fig. 1 to contact, or almost ment of the leg and prevent accidental inward flexing of the stick elements and consequent disleg from the brackets.

It will be recognized that each bracket contributes to the support of two legs, since it mounts one stick element of each of two legs. example, the leg l2 has its stick element l6 engaged with the pin of bracket 23 :and its stick element engaged with the pin of bracket 2|.

It is apparent that if the structure consisted solely of the parts thus far described, each leg would be able to swing outwardly into parallelism with the table. As heretofore explained, aprimary object of the invention is concerned with limiting the extent to which each leg can'be swung, and this is accomplished by the 'means which willnow be described.

At the free edge of each plate portion 24, 25, I provide an integral, right-angularly turned ear 29. 5 Since the side face of each plate portion parallels the path through which the adjacent stick element of the leg moves, the two cars 29 of the two brackets which cooperate with each leg lie directly across that path and constitute a stop for limiting the extreme outwardlyspread position which the leg can assume. 1 Thus, in Fig. 2 the ears 2!! of brackets 2| and 23 are shown engaging and stopping stick elements l6 and ll of leg l2. The ears 29 are all identical in shape. In ora substantial area of ear surface each ear is extended lengthwise as well as laterally," and joins the "free edge of the bracket plate portion along a'sloping line 30. That is to say,. the free edge 30 of each plate portion makes the same angle with the table as the angle to which it is desired to limit the outspread with such construction the op the vertical plane of leg. It will be manifest that posite, aligned ears 29 of each pair cooperate to provide a sort of trough that will present a very appreciable area to become engaged by the intervening leg when'spread outwardly so that the angleof spread will'be effectively limited.

A All the ears slope at the same angle with relation to the table plane, so that 'the maximum spread position isthe same for-all the legs. In use, therefore, if the floor or ground is level and all the legs are of the same length, it is only necessary to swing all the legs out into abutting relation with the respective ears 29 and the table will be found to be accurately level and the tripod securely maintained against possibility of collapse.

The foregoing construction requires a specially made bracket unit, since difierent parts of the same integral plate serve to'mount the pintle pins and to function as the ears 29. In Figs. '4 and 5 I show a slightly modified construction in which such two parts'of each bracket are separate, so that the part providing the leg lir'niting I Thus, for- The object of course is ear can be attached to the pintle pin bearing plate of a bracket already made. In this modification 24a and 25a designate the plate portions of a bracket secured to table W by ear portions 21a and terminating just below the usual pintle pins. Screwed or otherwise affixed to the outer side of the pair of plate portions is an auxiliary plate 3| having a central body area divided along its median line 26a into two related portions which are bounded by sloping free edge lines 30a from which project leg limiting ears 290., all in the manner of the corresponding parts of the first described embodiment of the invention. to provide a two-element counterpart of the integral bracket element of Figs. 2 and 3 that will perform identical functions.

Holes or pockets 32 are auxiliary plate 3| to receive the butt ends of the pintle pins of the bracket so as to permit the auxiliary plate and bracket plate portions 24a and 25a to be drawn up into snug mutual'engagement. These holes andtheir fit with the pintle pin butt ends also cooperate with the screw connections shown just above them'. in Fig. 4 so that the connection of the two partsof the modified structure is made doubly secure.

The tripod table may be provided with any suitable type of stud and lock nut device 33 "for mounting the camera or other instrument centrally or marginally of the table.

The invention may be embodied in variously modified forms, all within the scope of the appended claims, and numerous refinements of detail may be incorporatedin the structure. Thus, for example, the extreme upper'end portion of each stick element may be bound bya sheet metal strip or enclosed in a ferrule appropriately perforated to provide a metal journal for the cooperating pintle pin. In construing the claims, I regard the combination of main and auxiliary plates, shown in Figs. 4 and 5, as within'the scope of the term bracket plate or equivalent expression, so that the two-plate form of the invention and the single-plate form are species best provided in the .of the same generic concept.

I claim: a

1. In a tripod construction of the'typc' comprising a table, a set of legs=each of which includes a pair of stick elements, and means mounting 'the 'tableon the legs comprising a plurality of brackets depending from the table and spacedfrom each other, each bracket including an upper ear secured to the under side of the table, a plate depending from said ear and comprising two angularly related portions," and a pin projecting from each portion so that the two pins of each plate extend divergently and each is aligned with a pin which projects from the plate of the next adjacent bracket, the stick elements of each leg being pivotally mountedion such two alignedpins, thecombination with said plate portions of an ear projecting from'the free edge ofeach plate portion, each ear providinga substantial area for engaging theadjacent stick element and limiting the spread of the legs. f I i 2. In a tripod c'ons'tructiori'of the type comprising a table, a set of legs each of which'includes a pair of stick-elements, and means mounting the table on the legs comprising a 'plurality' of brackets depending from'thetable and spaced from each other, each bracket includingan'upper earsecured to the under side'iofthe table; a plate depending fromisaid' ear aridcompri'sirlg two angularly related portions, and a pin projecting from each portion so that the two pins of each plate extend divergently and each is aligned with a pin which projects from the plate of the next adjacent bracket, the stick elements of each leg being pivotally mounted on such two aligned pins, the combination with each plate portion of an ear projecting right angularly therefrom along a downward and outward slope to provide flat stop surfaces of substantial area for the stick elements to limit the spread of the legs.

3. In a tripod construction of the type comprising a table, a set of legs each of which includes a pair of stick elements. and means mounting the table on the legs comprising a plurality of brackets depending from the table and spaced from each other, each bracket including an upper ear secured to the under side of the table, a plate depending from said ear and comprising two angularly related portions, and a pin projecting from each portion so that the two pins of each plate extend divergently and each is aligned with a pin which projects from the plate of the next adjacent bracket, the stick elements of each leg being pivotally mounted on such two aligned pins, the combination with each plate portion of an auxiliary plate fastened thereto in parallel abutting relation therewith and having an ear projecting right angularly from its outer edge along a downward and outward slope to provide a fiat stop surface of substantial area for a stick element to limit the spread of the leg including said stick element.

4. In a tripod construction of the type comprising a table, a set of legs each of which includes a pair of stick elements, and means mounting the table on the legs comprising a plurality of brackets depending from the table and spaced from each other, each bracket in cluding an upper ear secured to the under side of the table, a plate depending from said ear and comprising two angularly related portions, and a pin projecting from each portion so that the two pins of each plate extend divergently and each is aligned with a pin which projects from the plate of the next adjacent bracket, the stick elements of each leg being pivotally mounted on such two aligned pins, the combination with said plate portions of auxiliary plates fastened thereto in parallel abutting relation therewith and having ears projecting right angularly from the free edges of each auxiliary plate, each ear providing a substantial area for engaging the adjacent stick element and limiting the spread of the legs.

BERNARD J. FOY. 

